Players such as Neymar and Robin van Persie have also shone for Brazil and the Netherlands, but Ronaldo, the current holder of the Ballon d'Or, says he feels no pressure to light up the tournament with Portugal.

"I don't think I have to show anyone anything," said Ronaldo, who claimed his second Champions League winners' medal last month. "Look at my statistics and my CV - I have nothing to prove. My career has been great so far and I just want that to continue.

"But I believe that one player is not a team. I am here to help the team. I am an additional player and I can make a difference, but I can't carry the team on my back. I want to be champion, but let's take it a step at a time. We are not in the group of favourites, but we are one of the best. For me it pushes me forward to succeed at a tournament. I like challenges and I want to do my best in whatever competition I am in."

Portugal largely owe their presence at the tournament to Ronaldo, after he scored all four goals in their two-legged play-off victory against Sweden.

Though Ronaldo might insist he is not super-human, his Portugal team-mates clearly see things differently for a man who has scored 49 goals for his country and has already eclipsed Eusebio and Luis Figo in the record books.

"Cristiano is a very important player for us," full-back Fabio Coentrao said. "He's the best in the world. He's a super-athlete and he has a tremendous will of helping the national team."

Bruno Alves, the Portugal centre-half, is of a similar opinion. He said: "The best player in the world had to be in the World Cup and he will help the team to achieve our goals. We count with our captain, always."

Suarez is not world class yet - Hodgson

Luis Suarez will have to shine at the World Cup if he is to prove he is a world-class player, according to England manager Roy Hodgson.

Ronaldo, 29, trained in the Arena Fonte Nova on Sunday with light strapping on his left knee, an injury that has hampered his preparations for Brazil.

He will begin his third World Cup tonight having failed to leave his mark in 2006 in Germany and then again in South Africa four years later.

Ronaldo has only managed two goals in 10 World Cup appearances, against Iran and North Korea, with his most famous moment from the tournament still the wink he gave to Portugal's bench after Wayne Rooney's dismissal in Gelsenkirchen following his stamp on Ricardo Carvalho.